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History records a host of diseases that have inflicted deep wounds on our society-black plague, malaria, typhoid fever, measles, polio, heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and AIDS, to name a few. These and other illnesses have left families in disarray, jolted the economy, even shaped social values, and yet there is a disease among us that has had a greater impact than all of the above combined. That disease is addictive disease and it is the number one health problem in America today, yet it is perhaps the most misunderstood illness in recent history. The problem is the disease, not the addiction, and unless its symptoms are understood and aggressively treated, victims will continue to experience repercussions and society will continue to suffer.
Almost everyone's life has been touched in one way or another by addictive disease. Interview a hundred people randomly, and it is unlikely that you will find even one who does not have a relative, a co-worker, or a friend who is a victim, or who are themselves victims of this insidious illness.
The ripple effect of addictive disease is staggering. Because of this illness, we are all faced with escalating insurance premiums, rising medical costs, and inflated taxes. Addictive disease cripples the work force by decreasing efficiency, increasing sick days, and creating a higher risk of injury on the job. It wreaks havoc in personal relations, fosters domestic violence, contributes to the breakdown of the family system, and results in untimely deaths. It accelerates crime rates, overloads our courts, and overcrowds our jails.
In spite of its prevalence, addictive disease is the most misunderstood illness in recent history. Even people afflicted with this malady have difficulty understanding and accepting that they are dealing with a disease, and many hold gross misconceptions about the nature of their own illness.
Because of these misunderstandings and misconceptions, we, as a society, are fighting the wrong enemy. Waging a war on drugs (gambling, sex, sin, etc.) to combat the problem of addictive disease is as senseless as waging a war on sugar to combat diabetes. Unless the symptoms are clearly understood and aggressively treated, victims and society at large will continue to experience repercussions.
If we persist in the notion that the object of addiction is the cause of the disease, we will continue to attack only that one symptom while permitting, perhaps even facilitating, the spread of the disease. The problem is clearly the disease, not the addiction. Thank you for visiting our web site!! |
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Click on the book cover above to learn more about "Addictive Disease" from Amazon.com. |
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What do Mental Health Professionals say? Mental health professionals have the right idea. In response to the classifications, definitions, and diagnostic criteria set forth by the medical community, these treatment professionals created and implemented treatment regimens to address specific manifestations of each addictive disorder. Treatment tracks have been developed for cocaine dependence, co-dependency, compulsive overeating, compulsive gambling, sex addiction, and other specific disorders, and each has had significant success in treating the identified addiction. The need for, and effectiveness of, this treatment have been documented and recognized by the medical profession, psychologists and psychiatrists, business and industry, the criminal justice system, educators, family members and friends, and religious institutions.
However, though treatment of addictive disease has increased during the last half century, all too often something was missing. Soon after the identified addiction was arrested, other active addictions manifested themselves. Victims simply switched addictions!
Alcoholics stopped drinking, but then became addicted to work or gambling. Compulsive overeaters abstained from sugar or fatty foods, but then became addicted to people or sex. Compulsive gamblers stopped gambling, but then became addicted to alcohol or exercise. It soon became apparent that the "addictive disease" had not gone into remission, even though the original identified addiction was no longer present.
The next step was to look beyond the obvious addiction to the underlying symptoms. Clinicians then began to identify emotional and behavioral symptoms that all of these illnesses had in common. It is the commonality of these symptoms that begins to merge all these "separate" diseases together under the larger umbrella of "addictive disease." No matter how the active addiction manifests itself, unless these chronic emotional and behavioral symptoms are treated, the victim does not experience full remission of the disease.
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